Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Ezekiel · About this commentary
Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia
Ezekiel 25:1-17
1 Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, · WEB
Four neighbors are judged, and in every case the offense is what they said and did while Jerusalem was falling.
The four oracles are short and they are built identically. Each begins with because, quotes the nation's own words or gestures, and ends with the recognition formula. What is prosecuted in every case is a reaction rather than an invasion. The reactions are quoted with a precision that suggests they were widely reported.
Ammon said Aha! against the sanctuary when it was profaned, against the land when it was made desolate, and against the house of Judah when it went into captivity. The charge is enjoyment, itemized across three separate losses. And the physical detail is added: clapping the hands, stamping the feet, rejoicing with all the contempt of your soul. This is not a nation that attacked. It is a nation that celebrated at a funeral, and the celebration is enough.
Moab 's offense is a sentence of five words: the house of Judah is like all the nations. It sounds almost reasonable, and it is the same conclusion the exiles themselves were tempted to draw Ezekiel 20:32. Coming from a neighbor it is a denial that Judah's God was anything in particular, and it is treated as blasphemy rather than as a political observation.
Edom's offense is revenge — taking vengeance and being greatly guilty in doing so — and Philistia's is the same with an added phrase, acting with contempt of soul to destroy with perpetual hostility. Both are charged with using a moment of collapse to settle old accounts. Taken together, the four oracles establish the principle the next seven chapters apply to greater powers. God's judgment on his own people does not license anyone else's. The nations that treated Judah's fall as an opportunity are answerable for the treatment, not for the fall.
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